Crowdsourcing

In recent years we’ve seen a shift in the way Stock Photography has been managed. Photography has gone from a very expensive, tightly managed, billion dollar industry down to what is now a $10 per picture business. With the help of iStockphoto and other other stock photo sites online, you can buy a royalty free license for between $5 – $10, a far cry from where we were just a few years ago.

Don’t look now, creative services is the next industry under attack. With the availability of Adobe Creative Suite we’ve turned everyone with a computer and access to a peer-to-peer file sharing server into a graphic designer.

This week, Hi-Time will play host to two special events. In celebration of Bourbon (American Whisky) they’re hosting two Bottle signings this week.

And if you’ve never been over to Hi-Time, this gives you another good excuse to go.

Bullet Bourbon Bottle Signing

Tuesday, March 10th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Master Distiller Tom Bullet will be at Hi-Time Wine Cellars to sign bottles of Bullet bourbon and answer any questions you have.

Maker’s Mark Bottle Signing

Thursday, March 12th from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Maker’s Mark Master Distiller Kevin Smith and Distillery Diplomat April Gallegos will be at Hi-Time Wine Cellars to sign your favorite collectible bottle of Maker’s Mark and answer any questions you have about bourbon.

Scientists at Tufts University found that moderate drinking seems to prevent loss of bone mineral density (BMD) associated with aging. Bone loss can lead to osteoporosis, which can lead to increased risk of fractures and injury.

The researchers think silicon in beer might be the reason they found stronger bones in men who drink one to two beers or the equivalent in alcohol every day.

Its no secret that newspapers are struggling. Whether its slow response to our changing times or the growing popularity of the internet, as an advertising and marketing professional, I argue its a change in communication and the way we get information today, that is killing the newspapers. Newspapers are failing because their mode of communication is old fashioned and out of style. Who wants to read through 500 news stories to see if one might be of interest?

Online vs. Offline News

There are a few common themes to why this downturn is happening, slow response to change by big newspaper corporations and the growing popularity of the internet are just a few. Newspapers have been slow to innovate as eBay, Craigslist, Monster, Google and myriad ad networks have sprouted, thrived and stolen away online customers. Digg, Reddit, Newsvine and others are experimenting with community selection of news, while newspapers pay little more than lip service to online reader involvement.

Fortune just announced the top 100 companies to work for.

Google tops the list, profitable and growing, and the services they provide are FREE. Sure, they have services they charge for but their main business, search, email, etc. is free. That reminds me of an article I’ve mentioned before, from Wired Magazine: Free, Why $0.00 is the Future of Business (see the article at this link and you don’t have time to read the whole thing now, at least watch the video):